This Year marks the 750th anniversary of Dante’s birth (born c. May 21-June 20, 1265). Our Society will commemorate the anniversary with a special event as part of a series of celebrations by our sister societies in other cities during the month of June. We use Salvador Dali’s illustration of Dante in Paradise (from the Divine Comedy, Paradise, primo canto) together with a reading of its opening verses in outerspace by first Italian woman in space astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti as part of the celebration of the anniversary. These are words she read in Italian with the English translation.

Primo canto Paradiso: the Ascent to the First Heaven. The Sphere of Fire